Sharing our stories, big and small.

Posts from the “out & about” Category

In November we hosted our first Friendsgiving, raising money and awareness for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. In December we continued our support by attending Cookies & Custard, a family holiday cookie decorating party. They provided cookies, decorations, lunch and fun activities to engage the kids and we provided our holiday spirit.

Designed by James Corner Field Operations, ICEBERGS opened at the National Building Museum as part of the annual Summer Block Party series. ICEBERGS was designed by landscape architects and built from reusable construction materials, such as scaffolding and polycarbonate paneling. The 20′ high “water line” allows panoramic views from high above the ocean surface and down below among the towering bergs.

We explored a fantastical glacial sea, slid down an ice chute, viewed the ICEBERGS from under sea level to 56′ above all while learning how design can transform a space and lives.

Middleburg is history, picturesque countryside and lots of charm. Middleburg, Virginia was established in 1787 by American Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman John Leven Powell, who purchased the property from Joseph Chinn, a cousin of George Washington. Powell changed the name from “Chinn’s Crossroads” to Middleburg because the town was the halfway point between Alexandria and Winchester along the popular Ashby Gap trading route, along what is today Rte. 50.

The town has a rich history, including serving as the site of two skirmishes in 1863 as part of the Gettysburg Campaign during the Civil War. After the turn of the century, the town became a popular destination for foxhunting and steeplechasing, earning it a reputation as the “Nation’s Horse and Hunt Capital”.

After a major two-year renovation, the Renwick Gallery reopened last November with an exhibition titled WONDER, featuring nine major contemporary artists. Each artist took over a gallery creating site-specific large-scale installations inspired by the Renwick. Together, these installations turned the building into a larger-than-life work of art.

The exception being our December which gave us warm and humid breezes keeping us daydreaming about beaches and margaritas instead of snow fights and egg nog culminating with a humid, 70 degree, air-conditioned Christmas Day. Whether cold or warm December is unforgivably short.

The National Building Museum presents a one-of-a-kind destination for visitors, an interactive architectural installation that brings the quintessential summer experience of going to the beach to downtown Washington, D.C. Spanning across the Museum’s Great Hall, the BEACH, created in partnership with Snarkitecture, will cover 10,000 square feet and include an “ocean” of nearly one million recyclable translucent plastic balls.

– National Building Museum website, August 2015

Sitting in the back of my parent’s station wagon driving to Ocean City, MD I’d stare out the window at the houses passing by wondering who lived there, imagining the clever conversations they must be having, the interesting food they must be eating and the great belly laughs that filled their sunshine filled homes. I was ten years old and I romanticized what existed in these houses, believing the lives they led were filled with TV moments. I’m not ten years old anymore but the romantic in me is still thriving. Now my lens has shifted from the houses on Route 50 to the rest of the world. Whether driving through the charming town of Valladolid or walking the tourist filled Avenue des Champs-Elysees I am equally enamored with the history and the landmarks as I am with the daily routine of those that live there.

There is still much of the world I want to see. Thanks to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival I can enjoy a curated glimpse into different countries and cultures and see the people that by simply performing their daily routine are carrying forth traditions.

Hey Explorers – Follow me on your quest to uncover the many extremes found in the Natural History Museum! Tonight, you will dine like the dinos, marvel at the mummies, and sing like the cicadas to earn the title of Smithsonian Junior Explorer!

Anthony and I recently enjoyed Summer Escape at Mount Vernon, a unique opportunity to experience Mount Vernon after hours. While enjoying craft beers from local breweries including Old Ox Brewery, Atlas Brew Works, Old Bus Head Brewery and Forge Brew Works we chatted with Lady Washington and was transported to the 18th century with music, dancing, beer brewing and blacksmith demonstrations.